“Negotiations regarding the dam are continuing until reaching an agreement that fulfills Egypt’s demands,” he said in remarks carried by the state-run Akbar al-Youm newspaper.

Describing the negotiations with Ethiopia as “not easy”, the minister said experts from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are working to make a breakthrough in the talks regarding the dam.

“The negotiations are not easy and Egypt would continue the talks until reaching a non-fragile deal,” he said.

Late in September, trilateral negotiation between the water ministers of the three countries over the dam project failed to reach an agreement.

In 2011, Ethiopia began the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, a tributary of the Nile River, near the border with Sudan, which Egypt fears would reduce its Nile water share.

In the seven years since, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have held several rounds of talks to discuss the dam’s anticipated impact on Nile water resources.

Addis Ababa says electricity generated by the dam, which was originally slated for completion this year, will help the country meet its development goals. ■